Portable gas or electric powered hedge trimmers are in widespread use. Such hedge trimmers typically consist of a compact chassis housing the gasoline or electric motor, an elongate cutting blade extending laterally from the motor chassis, and a pair of handles for securely grasping and maneuvering the tool. The cutting blade is usually a single or dual reciprocating blade between 15 and 30 inches in length. The orientation of the cutting blade may be adjusted by the operator by manually tilting the tool as desired. Hedge trimmers are usually not used to cut ground foliage since it is awkward for the operator to stoop for long periods of time to maintain the cutting blade in a horizontal orientation close to the ground surface.
Many sickle-type mowers are known in the prior art which are specifically adapted for cutting ground foliage, such as grass and weeds. U.S. Pat. No. 2,502,943 granted to Gordon on Apr. 4, 1950 discloses a combination hedge trimmer and lawn mower which consists of a wheel-supported frame and a reciprocating cutting blade removably mounted at the forward end of the frame. The gasoline or electric motor is supported on the frame rearwardly of the cutting blade. The Gordon frame is not, however, suitable for supporting a conventional hedge trimmer having an elongate cutting blade extending laterally from one side of a motor chassis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,098 granted to Green on July 5, 1977, discloses a grass trimming apparatus consisting of an elongated frame which is longitudinally and laterally tiltable on a single wheel support. The motor and cutting unit assembly is mounted within the transverse confines of the frame at its forward end. The cutting unit includes a flexible cutting element, such as a rotating nylon cord, rather than a reciprocating cutting blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,886 granted to Quillen on June 26, 1990 discloses a wheel mounted string trimmer having a drive shaft which extends forwardly of the frame within an elongate tube. A gasoline engine is mounted on the frame at the rear end of the drive shaft and a trimmer head is mounted at the forward end of the drive shaft. The trimmer head may be adjusted to operate in a generally horizontal plane, a generally vertical plane, or in a number of different planes extending at an angle to the horizontal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,100 granted to Letter on Jan. 8, 1990 also discloses a wheeled carrier for a ground foliage trimmer. The flexible line, rotary trimmer is positioned at one end of a swivelling support arm extending forwardly of the frame.
However, none of the prior art wheeled carriers reviewed above are adapted for removably supporting a conventional portable hedge trimmer having an elongate cutting blade extending laterally of a motor chassis. Accordingly, the need has arisen for a wheeled carriage specifically constructed to enable a portable hedge trimmer to be converted for use as a ground foliage mower.